Most stomach aches respond well to simple home treatments: applying heat, sipping ginger tea, eating bland foods, and using the right over-the-counter medication for your specific symptoms. The approach that works best depends on what’s causing the pain, whether that’s gas, indigestion, nausea, or something else entirely. Here’s how to figure out what you’re dealing with and what to do about it.
Start With Heat
A heating pad on your abdomen is one of the fastest, simplest ways to ease stomach pain. Heat dilates blood vessels in the area, increasing blood flow and delivering more oxygen to the tissue. It also loosens tight, spasming muscles, which is often the direct source of that cramping sensation. Place a heating pad or hot water bottle over the painful area for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. A warm bath works too. Use a cloth barrier between the heating pad and your skin to avoid burns.
Match the Right OTC Medication to Your Symptoms
Not all stomach aches are the same, and grabbing the wrong product off the shelf can mean no relief at all. Here’s how to pick:
- Burning or acidic feeling in your upper stomach or chest: An antacid or an acid reducer (like famotidine) neutralizes or reduces stomach acid. These work best for heartburn, reflux, and that gnawing, burning sensation after eating.
- Bloating and pressure from gas: Simethicone (the active ingredient in Gas-X) breaks up gas bubbles in your digestive tract so they’re easier to pass. It won’t help with nausea or acid, but it’s effective for that tight, inflated feeling.
- Nausea, indigestion, or diarrhea: Bismuth subsalicylate (the pink liquid in Pepto-Bismol) works by forming a protective coating in your stomach and intestines. It handles a broad range of symptoms: heartburn, indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea. The standard adult dose is two tablets or two tablespoons every 30 minutes to one hour as needed, but don’t exceed 16 tablets or 16 tablespoons of regular-strength liquid in 24 hours.
- Diarrhea without other symptoms: Loperamide (Imodium) slows intestinal movement. Use it for diarrhea specifically, not for general stomach pain.
Try Ginger or Peppermint
Ginger is one of the most studied natural remedies for stomach problems. Its active compounds help move food through your digestive system more efficiently and block the receptors in your gut that trigger nausea. A systematic review of clinical trials found that about 1,500 mg of ginger per day, split into smaller doses, is effective for nausea relief. In practical terms, that’s roughly a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger steeped in hot water, or ginger capsules taken as 250 mg every six hours. Even ginger chews or flat ginger ale (let it go flat first so the carbonation doesn’t add to the problem) can help mild nausea.
Peppermint works differently. It relaxes the smooth muscle in your intestines by blocking calcium channels in the muscle cells, which eases cramping and spasms. Peppermint tea is the easiest option for a general stomach ache. For recurring issues like irritable bowel syndrome or frequent indigestion, enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules have strong clinical support. In studies, peppermint oil helped roughly one in four people with IBS who wouldn’t have improved otherwise.
Gentle Movement for Gas and Bloating
If your stomach ache feels more like pressure, fullness, or bloating, trapped gas is a likely cause. Gentle movement can physically help that gas work its way through. A short walk is a good start, but specific positions are even more effective:
- Knees to chest (wind-relieving pose): Lie on your back, pull both knees toward your chest, and gently rock side to side. Hold for five to ten slow breaths. This compresses the abdomen and encourages gas to pass.
- Spinal twist: Lying on your back with knees bent, drop both knees to one side while extending the opposite arm out. Hold for five to ten breaths, then switch sides. This massages and stretches the abdominal organs.
- Cat and cow: On your hands and knees, alternate between arching your back (dropping your belly toward the floor) and rounding it (tucking your chin and pulling your belly in). The rhythmic compression helps move gas along your intestines.
You don’t need any yoga experience. These positions work mechanically by stretching, compressing, and stimulating the abdomen.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
When your stomach hurts, eating the wrong thing can make it worse. The classic BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is often recommended, but it’s actually not backed by specific studies. Harvard Health notes that while those foods are fine for a day or two, there’s no reason to limit yourself to just those four. The goal is bland, easy-to-digest foods that give your gut a break while still providing some nutrition.
Good choices include brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, plain crackers, and unsweetened dry cereal. Once the worst has passed, you can add cooked carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs. These are gentle on the stomach but deliver the protein and nutrients your body needs to recover.
While your stomach is upset, avoid greasy or fried foods, dairy (especially if you suspect lactose intolerance), caffeine, alcohol, and heavily spiced meals. All of these can increase acid production, speed up digestion in unhelpful ways, or irritate an already sensitive stomach lining.
Pay Attention to Where It Hurts
The location of your stomach ache can tell you a lot about what’s going on. Upper middle abdominal pain is the most common area for everyday issues like indigestion, acid reflux, and gastritis. Pain in the upper right side can point to gallbladder problems. Lower right pain, especially if it started near your belly button and migrated downward, is a classic pattern for appendicitis. Lower abdominal pain has a wide range of causes including urinary tract issues, diverticulitis, and reproductive organ problems.
Most stomach aches are harmless and resolve on their own within a few hours. But certain patterns are red flags.
When Stomach Pain Needs Emergency Care
The American College of Emergency Physicians recommends seeking emergency care if abdominal pain is sudden, severe, or doesn’t ease within 30 minutes. You should also go to the ER if you experience:
- Continuous, severe pain with nonstop vomiting
- Severe lower right abdominal pain with nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or fever (possible appendicitis)
- Upper middle pain that lasts days, gets worse after eating, and comes with fever or a rapid pulse (possible pancreatitis)
- Severe abdominal pain with vaginal bleeding (possible ectopic pregnancy)
- Abdominal pain with high fever, bloody stool, or an abdomen that’s rigid and tender to the touch
These situations can involve conditions that worsen quickly and need treatment within hours, not days. If you’re unsure whether your pain is serious, the 30-minute rule is a practical guideline: pain that stays severe and constant for half an hour or more warrants professional evaluation.